LEXINGTON PARK ? It was 10 days before Christmas and all through Zion UMC volunteers were buzzing about delivering Christmas turkeys to needy families in St. Mary's County. At the center of the activity was Mike Schwartz who began feeding the hungry as a way to say thank you for help he received when he lost his home and everything he owned in a fire 20 years ago. Every Christmas since, he has carried out his 'mission from God,' Schwartz said. Dozens of volunteers lend a hand, from 10-year-olds to grandparents, working together this year to deliver meals to 1,100 families. Schwartz's mission fits perfectly with that of the church, the Rev. Brian Jackson told the Enterprise newspaper. 'Being a Christian, being the church, we have to get involved in the life of the community,' he said. One church member, Alonzo Gaskin, unloaded 10-pound bags of potatoes in the cold. He can't remember when he didn't help with the program. 'It gives you an opportunity to give back with what you've been blessed,' he said. 
Courtesy of Hiss UMC
PARKVILLE - Sheena Lyons, a member at Hiss UMC, had her pet iguana, Neina, blessed during the annual Blessing of the Animals last October. A photo of the pair, taken by a photographer for the Baltimore Messenger newspapers, was chosen for inclusion in the Northeast Reporter's review of 2004's best pictures of the year, Dec. 29. |
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